Bengaluru, May 1 (NationPress) The Karnataka BJP harshly criticized Chief Minister Siddaramaiah regarding his comments on the caste census, asserting that the initiative undertaken by the Congress-led government exemplifies how not to conduct such a census.

Previously, CM Siddaramaiah expressed his government’s readiness to provide any necessary guidance to the Union government concerning the caste census.

R. Ashoka, the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, remarked, “Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, your suggestion that Karnataka's model should be emulated for the caste census is quite amusing. A report that has lost its original copy, lacks signatures from secretaries, includes applications filled out by school children who were paid five to ten rupees per form, and skips enumeration of households with dogs, all while remaining unaccepted after ten years—your caste census report is a classic example of how not to conduct a caste census.”

He further stated, “Your assertion that the BJP has consistently opposed the caste census is a blatant falsehood. In 2010, the late Sushma Swaraj, then Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, formally communicated to the UPA government that the BJP backed the inclusion of caste enumeration in the 2011 census. The BJP also endorsed the unanimous resolution passed in Parliament on this issue,” Ashoka clarified.

Instead of executing a legitimate caste census, the previous Congress government conducted a flawed Social-Economic Caste Census in 2011 (SECC-2011). Like Karnataka's caste census, this initiative also suffered from inadequate planning and execution, leading to its total failure. Despite the expenditure of crores of rupees, the findings were never officially disclosed. This highlights the Congress party's authentic commitment to the caste census, Ashoka remarked.

“The BJP has never exploited the caste census for electoral advantage. While in power, we pledged to carry out the caste census. We did not engage in petty politics by expressing sympathy when in opposition and neglecting the issue when in power. This reflects our sincere commitment to social justice. Our main concern regarding the caste census has always been to ensure it is not misused for political attacks,” Ashoka emphasized.

“The caste census that the Central government is now preparing to conduct will be undertaken in an entirely transparent, scientific, and purposeful manner—unlike the manipulation for political gain that your Congress government engaged in by distorting data to suit your needs,” Ashoka stated, addressing CM Siddaramaiah directly.

He reiterated that Karnataka’s caste census process serves solely as a cautionary example of how not to conduct a caste census; there is nothing from it worth emulating.

Welcoming the central government's decision to conduct a caste census, CM Siddaramaiah stated on Wednesday, “Just as the BJP initially ridiculed our five guarantee schemes and subsequently adopted them, the Modi government’s decision to implement a caste census proves that Congress’ policies are fundamentally geared towards public welfare.

“The Karnataka government’s caste-based Social, Economic, and Educational Survey is a solid model. We are fully equipped to provide any assistance or guidance the Union government may require,” the CM mentioned.

CM Siddaramaiah added, “Our government fully supports the Union government’s decision to conduct a caste census in conjunction with the national population census. At this juncture, I urge the Union government to also perform a social, economic, and educational survey alongside the census. In Karnataka, we did more than just conduct a caste census; we also collected data on the social, economic, and educational circumstances of communities. Based on this data, we have made modifications and expansions to the current reservation policy. I hope the Union government will now pursue this process as well.”